Are Tegel gluten free nuggets the next fakeaway?

Posted: February 20, 2024 Updated: April 8, 2024

For months now I’ve been seeing people posting online just how good the Tegel gluten free nuggets are. Almost every single post has said they are just like the nuggets from McDonalds – which of course are not gluten free.

So when the folks at Tegel reached out and asked if I wanted to sample their products I jumped at the opportunity. In fact at the time I was writing my first article in a series called gluten free swaps – which includes these nuggets (follow me on Facebook to be the first to see when it’s published).

Tegel gifted me these products in exchange for an Instagram post and my review. As always, my reviews are my own and honest. I usually buy my own things, but a freebie helps me keep costs down for my website while sharing the latest products with my audience 🙂

Preparing Tegel gluten free nuggets

I was kind of hoping Tegel would pay me for this collaboration – because if they did I would have bought an air fryer and cooked them in it. If you have any recommendations for an air fryer, let me know in the comments – I really feel like I should be buying one!

So there are two options for preparing the nuggets, oven or air fryer. Oven method is 18 minutes at 200°C or oddly 160°C fan forced – I always thought fan forced is just 20°C lower. I ended up cooking mine at 180°C fan forced.

In the air fryer it’s much quicker, just 8 minutes at 180°C.

Other than that there’s no work to do! The instructions recommend a rack for oven cooking but I didn’t bother. However I did turn them over for the last five minutes of cooking.

The taste

The nuggets have a light crispy exterior, similar to tempura as the name suggests. It’s definitely a nicer option for a nugget than a breadcrumb coating. I think it’s lightly seasoned as well but hard to tell next to my salty chips.

Some came out crisper than others so I think if I’d left them in the oven a little longer it would have helped.

The chicken inside is nice, it’s tender but it also has texture which made me think it’s made from actual chicken breast rather than processed and shaped “meat”. I think it is processed meat though, given Tegel’s tenders are processed. But hey, it’s a nugget! That’s what you’d expect.

Comparing gluten free nuggets

Before this review I don’t think I’d ever eaten a gluten free nugget. Beige food (as it’s called in the UK) isn’t my go-to! But I thought I’d take a quick look at what’s available, because gluten free comes at a premium and some companies really take their overpricing to the next level.

• Tegel gluten free tempura nuggets. $8 for a 400g box. Price, $20 per kilo. Tempura batter crumb and 51% chicken content. No allergens but may contain: Milk, soy.
• Coles gluten free nuggets. $8 for a 400g box. Price, $20 per kilo. These are made with a bread crumb and have 62% chicken content. Allergens: Soy and egg.
• Bayview breast bites. $10 for only 260g. Price $37.90 per kilo. 60% chicken content, no allergens, no may contain.

So it’s a no brainer that Bayview are out, per kilo that cost is nearly double the other two.

The label on the Coles nuggets says that it’s a formed product, meaning the chicken was minced up and reshaped. I think the Tegel ones are as well, but from my taste test I’m not really noticing it.

The ultimate fakeaway

If you want to turn these tasty nuggets into a full blown gluten free Maccas takeaway here’s what you need.

• Nuggets – obviously Tegel, only available at Woolworths
• Fries – check my gluten free oven chips guide for the latest available
• Sauce! A fellow gluten free Aussie recommended Ayam’s sweet and sour sauce as a worthy replacement of the famous Macca’s dipping sauce. I tried it and really enjoyed it, I can’t remember what Macca’s sweet and sour sauce tastes like so I can’t compare for you.

Then you just need a hectic food court to eat in, or a paper bag in your car!

The Verdict

Would I buy these again? Well not at the moment, my freezer is full of them 😂.

But yes, as the mother of a soon to be toddler, Tegel is going to be my go to brand for gluten free nuggets. Not because my baby needs gluten free, but if they’re going to leave a half-eaten mess, I might as well be able to eat the scraps!

Not to mention it’ll alleviate that anxiety of gluten exposure when I’m preparing and serving food.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Gluten free: Legit, not detected.
Vegetarian / vegan: Nope, real chicken.
Allergens: Nil. May contain: Milk, soy.
Serving size: Four servings of five nuggets.

I write so many gluten free product reviews, why not check out a few?